Ryan Smith Latest Posts

Looking for a great award deal using AA miles? We are currently seeing economy awards between the U.S. and Europe for as few as 21,000 miles each way on American Airlines. Or, snag business class award availability in early 2024 for 56k miles each way. There's even Flagship First Class from 66k miles each way!

In late 2021, Marriott agreed to a legal settlement to clearly list resort fees (and other mandatory fees) on the first page of hotel results. After years of delays (and fines), Marriott is finally complying with the settlement. You'll now see resort fees in the initial Marriott search results. However, the initial price still won't be your total cost. Here's how to compare the all-in prices for Marriott hotels.

If you're booking a hotel stay this week, you could earn up to 28,000 LifeMiles per night with a LifeMiles Hotels promotion. However, the booking window won't be open long. This promotion offers double LifeMiles on all qualifying bookings on stays through the end of 2023. Sound good? Let's take a look at the details.

Earning elite status with a hotel program can be both tough and expensive. It's possible to achieve mid-tier hotel status with credit cards quite easily. But what about top-tier elite status: Can you get that from credit cards? Here's an overview of the cards that offer top-tier elite status and other credit card shortcuts to elite status.

Emirates just launched a new flash sale to buy Skywards miles, offering a 35% bonus on purchases through midnight May 9, 2023. For the ~30 hours, you can buy Skywards miles for 2.22¢ per mile. This is still a pretty crummy rate. So let's take a look at your alternatives and when buying miles might make sense.

Qatar Airways is running a promotion to buy Qatar Avios with a 50% bonus. This deal runs through May 11, 2023. With this promotion, members can purchase Avios for as little as 1.87¢ each. That's not the best price in the world. So, is it worth it? Let's look at some examples.

Hyatt Brand Explorer is one of my favorite perks across hotel loyalty programs. Thanks to some recent additions, you can now earn up to five free nights simply by staying at different Hyatt brands within the World of Hyatt program. Here's a look at how to earn the awards, what they are, and other details for maximizing this awesome benefit.

We regularly publish deals on buying points and miles at a discount. While it isn't usually your best bet for earning a lot of points and miles (you should focus on earning credit card sign-up bonuses instead), buying points can make sense in some situations. If you've decided to buy points or miles for an upcoming redemption, what credit card should you use? In this post, we show you how to decide the best option for you.

Even if you don't plan to visit Canada, there are reasons why you should care about the Aeroplan loyalty program. Its points can provide fantastic value. And the simplest way to earn a pile of Aeroplan points is through a credit card welcome bonus, such as the Aeroplan® Credit Card. Need help deciding if this card is right for you? Let's dive into the Aeroplan Card.

Every time I see a good bonus on a credit card, my fingers get itchy. I'm ready to apply. I'm already dreaming of where those points and miles can take me. However, I always need to bounce back to reality for a minute. "Am I eligible for this sign-up bonus?" is an important question to ask. Here's a look at some common questions and answers about eligibility for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.